Not the large stone caverns that Weyr people are used to, these are buildings built on the top of the cliff, sometimes referred to as the Weyr Cliff. These buildings are all the same size, with multiple apartments for dragonriders to live in in each building. Because of space constraints, dragons sleep in large pavilions built around the dragonrider apartments.

Then perhaps you can appreciate that I must keep K'rios on his feet. If I don't, then who will?

Tyreth rumbled in amusement. You won't be the only one making him dance on his toes. From the pewter, her mind stretched back to the riders, curious as to how those lessons might progress, and whether or not Solai could keep herself from getting distracted.

I'm not distracted, Solai thought back with a chuckle. It was a lie, and they both knew it, though Solai was doing rather well with K'rios, or so she liked to think.

"Never," he answered. Never mind the fact he felt so warm under her fingers, or how his arms fit against her palms in those moments when she guided his posture. Though when her hand passed over his shoulder blade, her mind recalled with ease how she clung to it during the flight, gripping him tight as he...

I can't think about that right now, she reminded herself. Solai could feel the way Tyreth mused in the back of her thoughts... and even suspected it was not just Tyreth she felt. Are you two spying on me? she thought in amusement to her dragons.

"But I'm a good student, I learn quickly enough."

"Good." She returned to her seat at his side, one hand at his shoulder, the other placed along his fingers. "I'm going to show you several chords, and I want you to strum each one, so not only can you get a feel for it, but you can hear the way it's supposed to sound. After we run over a few chords, will put them together for a song- Oh! I nearly forgot the pick!" The greenrider leaned back and reached around the pewterrider for her bedside drawer. Never mind his tunic she wore, or how it hiked up around her hips when she stretched for the bedside. A distinct earthy smell twined into the air when she opened the drawer but Solai was not about to partake when she had a lesson to teach. A hand rummaged through, feeling past the pipe and glass jar until she felt the smooth flat triangular disc. The pick found, she righted herself back up to K'rios side, and straightened out, covering herself properly once again. "There you go."

Now... for the first chord. Reaching for his right hand, she positioned his fingers properly, minding all the while that this was all backwards for her. "Your first chord is a very standard chord, your C chord." The fingers placed, she pulled her hand back and nodded to him. "Go on. Give it a good strum."

Broad and bright, Solai could not help but smile at the sound of his first chord. "How does that feel for your hand?" Playing a guitar for the first time could always be a shock to a hand unfamiliar with the stretch required to reach the notes, or the sensation of the strings reverberating beneath uncalloused fingers.

She was not the only one thinking, feeling, about their time together. But he knew if he let too much of it come to the forefront of his thinking, there would be issues that he didn't wish to become a problem. A chuckle in his mind, from that manipulative bastard he was bonded to, a flash of memory he didn't wish to have escape the center of his mind. Once buried in a cloud, uncovered from the dusts of time before it could become lost. Prick.

But K'rios could only smile as he glanced at the placement of his hands on the guitar, glad he was at least covered up, that nothing of himself below the waist could be seen. He was proper enough for now, and that would simply have to do.

"How does that feel for your hand?"

He glanced down again at the guitar and smiled, amazed at how... well, it wasn't difficult, but it hadn't been easy either, not with hands as big as his. "Not bad, not bad. It feels like a good fit over all, and there wasn't any discomfort with the strum." Not that he knew if there could have been or not. Tentatively, he tried it again, this time on his own, and he made the same, sweet sound. "Well, at least now we know the first time I made that sound it wasn't a fluke."

"Not bad, not bad. It feels like a good fit over all, and there wasn't any discomfort with the strum." He made a second strum of confirmation. "Well, at least now we know the first time I made that sound it wasn't a fluke."

"What, don't trust my instruction?" she chuckled back to him as her hands reached back for his own to shift the eager digits. "So, remember, this is C chord-" she began as she changed the position of his fingers "- And this is A minor." She gave another pause for him to strum that next chord. "Now go back to C... and now A minor..." She chuckled as he listened to her, obeyed her, the diligent little pupil.

Her hand returned to his own once more, guiding his fingers for the next chord. As she touched him with the intent of instruction, the contact once more allowed the flash back of those intimate moments hours earlier... when fingers entwined at the command of their dragons.

No, that part of the flight was all you. Most of it was, Tyreth mused back.

If it was me, then I should be able to remember more of it, Solai answered back. It frustrated her, actually, that she recalled so little with K'rios. Despite the flickering glimpses of recollection when they were at their most intimate, the pewterrider remained a mystery to her. And yet... when Solai considered Tyreth's suggestion, she did feel a truth to it. Though drunk on flight lust, everything she did with and to K'rios were likely done of her own volition and desire. She felt no shame, no regret. Instead, the greenrider desired an encore with her eyes and mind wide open.

"And this is the F chord..." She shifted his fingers again "And now G-" and again "-G7-" and one last time "-And this last one is D minor. What do you think of those, and how they sound?" Already the song played out in her mind, a pleasant distraction from more torrid thoughts and imaginations.

"Good, good." He replied with a nod of his head. And then, on his own, he gave the cords a gentle, exploratory fleck. The music came floating through the strings, and brought a smile to his face. It was as much a chance to see if he could do it on his own, as it was distraction, for she wasn't the only one thinking of things that had no place in the mind from a simple touch of fingers to flesh.

No place, hm?

Never mind yourself, you hear?

In that case I will mind you instead, and remind you that you are allowed to enjoy yourself

Never mind me, either.

Hard to do when your thoughts are so loud with everything...

K'rios shut the pewter out and with that, tried to regain his focus on the lesson at hand. His hands had slipped from the guitar, and he apologized quickly for it, before just as fast regaining the position he'd previously held with them. "There we go. Let's see, another try, shall we?" Another strum, another perfect play. He smiled and tipped his head towards her. "It would seem I make a quick study after all. You're a fine tutor, Solai."

Under her guidance, K'rios's hand shifted across the frets to achieve each chord. It pleased Solai immensely that the man was catching onto the feel of the instrument he held, and hoped to soon add the words to that which he played.

"Good, good."

"Perfect." Solai was about to encourage the pewterrider to continue through the chords in repetition, but before she could instruct him, his clever dragon slipped into his thoughts.

No place, hm?

Listening to only half a conversation proved challenging, leaving Solai to often fill in the gaps with guesses and creativity. For K'rios's sake, however, she did her best not to pry too much, and instead, tried to divert her mind to recalling the lyrics of the song instead.

In that case I will mind you instead, and remind you that you are allowed to enjoy yourself

Whatever was intended by the various remarks, at least this one rang true, regardless of context. Iktomith was right, and Solai wanted to reminded K'rios as much, but once more she told herself it was not her place. Not yet. First they needed to built a relationship with one another, to trust one another, and that was a difficult feat to accomplish if one spied on the other... and the other was constantly reminded of this.

Hard to do when your thoughts are so loud with everything...

Speaking of being loud, Solai thought back to the dragon, giving him a hint that he was the one being loud, for he was distracting both his rider and Solai. Do you mind? When K'rios's hand fell and he apologised, she chuckled back in turn. "It's all right." Combined with Iktomith's remarks, Solai had begun to piece together what had been said in confidence between rider and dragon, and quietly she shared their sentiments.

Tyreth nosed her mate. You're being devious again, the green's words laughed to Iktomith. Solai is trying to behave herself and help K'rios, and can't tell what it is you are attempting to do: distract your bonded, or distract mine.

Knowing him, both probably, Solai chuckled into the thoughts of green and pewter.

Regardless of Iktomith's interference, K'rios proved willing to try again. "There we go. Let's see, another try, shall we?" The chord stroke, Solai smiled back at him, pleased at his diligence and determination. He would need those traits in abundance if he was to learn any instrument.

"It would seem I make a quick study after all. You're a fine tutor, Solai."

"Well, you have good hands for it, though I'm going to apologise now, because your finger tips are going to feel a bit raw after this." Over the turns, Solai had developed callouses from playing the guitar and violin. As a child, the development of them hurt her delicate fingers, but now she hardly felt a thing. "But the more you practice, the more you'll get use to it. I promise. Now, go on... do the chords again. Same order as before," she smiled back to him, eager to start the second part as his hands began to strum along the tempo of her instruction.

Once certain he had successfully achieved the order of the chords, Solai opened up with the lyrics of the ancient Ruathan song he played, and with a gentle alto voice, the greenrider accompanied his chords.

By yon bonnie banks and by yon bonnie braes
where the sun shines bright on Loch Lomond
Where me and my true love were ever wont to gae
on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lo - mond

Oh Ye'll tak' the high road, and I'll tak the low road
and I'll be in Ru'tha afore ye
but me and my true love will never meet again
on the bonnie, bonnie banks o' Loch Lo - mond...

"But the more you practice, the more you'll get use to it. I promise. Now, go on... do the chords again. Same order as before,"

It was, at first, a little difficult to focus on both playing and listening to her singing the song. But do both he did and he was mighty impressed with the work he did, not to mention proud of himself when all was said and done. The song was in his head now, from the twang of the guitar strings, to the sound of her voice plucking each word from the air itself. He knew whenever he thought of it, played it, sung it himself for his Norissa, he wouldn't be able to do so without thinking of Solai in a way.

His hand flattened against the front of the guitar and he smiled, nodding his head. Perhaps this wouldn't be their only lesson, but he knew not to suggest it might mean more encounters between them. He wouldn't mind having more moments with her, whether lessons or otherwise, but he wasn't going to push either. "I've enjoyed this, Solai." He said, plucking a few of the strings again, wishing he knew how to compose something on his own. "And your voice is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me."

Once his hand settled on the guitar frame, the greenrider knew K'rios had enjoyed enough with the guitar for today. This meant it was likely time for him to go. Flights were fun, but they could only spare so much time to the riders before they were forced to go their separate ways. Part of Solai did not want the time with him to come to an end so soon, but the greenrider also recognised there would be other moments shared between them. That much they had promised this day. Perhaps on the morrow after Wing Drills, she would find the gumption to step to his side, touch his hand in askance, and offer him a cup of tea before he slipped off to the barracks.

"I've enjoyed this, Solai." Fingers delayed the moment of departure as they plucked along the strings. "And your voice is beautiful. Thank you for sharing it with me."

The greenrider flushed noticeably. Eyes averted playfully, the gesture accompanied by that telling nip of her lower lip. Every part of her tickled at the thought that K'rios enjoyed the song... her voice... Not exactly a harper like her family, Solai had never received the proper training for all her father had shown her so much. Being bonded to Tyreth so young did not permit her the time she needed to pursue a craft. Still, she had practised, practised enough to appeal to the pewterrider before her. "You're welcome," she replied, her mannerism coy yet inviting.

Fingers played with the hem of his tunic. "I take it this means it's time to go and get to the barracks?" There was a hope he would stay, and yet she knew he could not. Rather than deny the truth, she accepted it once she lifted his tunic off her body to return it. Never mind the fact she sat bare before him. As a weyrbred woman, she lacked the shame of nudity that so many of the holders suffered from. Reaching over, she gently took the guitar and set it aside. Though sheets sifted, Solai's eyes remained solely for K'rios's smile up to the moment when she returned his tunic, slipping it playfully over his head. Hands smoothed the fabrics across his chest and arms once it settled.

Eyes returned to the pewterrider. How could she not reach out to touch him, to run her fingers along his brow, as though to brush away some imaginary wayward strand of hair? "Thank you." Her gratitude spoke of the entirety of their time together, the flight, their talk, the lesson... the chance he gave her. Though tempted to ask why, Solai knew better than to question a good thing.

Instead, as the back of her fingers drew down his cheek, she leaned in to kiss his opposing one. Her countenance so near to his own, close enough for her autumn gaze to catch the flecks of brown in his left eye, she murmured softly to him, "Don't be a stranger, K'rios." His very presence seemed more like a living manifestation of a dream than actual reality. She only hoped that when she awoke in the morning, she did not come to realise this had all been story of the mind rather than a moment with the man.